The Two-Way

3:51 pm

Mon July 29, 2013

Police Arrest Woman Suspected Of Vandalizing Washington Icon

Green paint was discovered in two chapels inside the National Cathedral in Washington on Monday.

Jacquelyn MartinAP

Police in Washington, D.C., say a woman has been arrested, suspected of splattering green paint across the organ at the National Cathedral, the Episcopalian church that has long served as the country's spiritual home.

"This morning, green paint was found on a statue memorializing Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The paint is on the front and back of the statue's pedestal. While the paint at the Lincoln Memorial was splattered on, the paint on the Henry statue resembles finger painting complete with stick figures of people.

"The statue is located outside the Smithsonian castle, near the merry-go-round on the National Mall."

The AP reports that officials at the Cathedral discovered the paint while it was still wet. They ordered a lockdown and police searched the premises.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told the AP that the woman would likely be charged with destruction of property.

A spokesman for the U.S. Park Police, however, told the AP it's still too early to know if the suspect may have been responsible for the other acts of vandalism.